Fires destroy billions of dollars of personal property every year. Particularly devastating are wildland/urban interface (WUI) and wildland/suburban interface (WSI) fires which involve the spread of fire from non-populated wildland into populated areas. For example, according to the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency a 1990 wildland fire in California caused 26 deaths, destroyed over 5,000 structures and resulted in over $1.5 billion in damages. The conventional method of combating WUI, WSI and other fires, has been to apply water to the fire. This procedure has, however, often been ineffective because of the problems associated with the use of water. Due to run-off and evaporation, water is not readily retained on surfaces which are on fire or in danger of catching on fire. Further, this procedure is not effective in preventing the spread of fire to assets at risk, such as houses, structures and cars, which are not initially engulfed by the fire.
Other materials, and in particular superabsorbent polymers, have been utilized to attempt to prevent the spread of and combat fires. U.S. Pat. No. 5,849,210 discloses a method of retarding a combustible object from burning comprising applying a mixture of water and a superabsorbent polymer which absorbs at least 20 times its weight in water onto an exposed surface of the combustible object. Superabsorbent polymers do not dissolve well and also swell and impart high viscosity to aqueous mixtures. In addition, superabsorbent polymers are brittle and glassy when dry and generally are more expensive than the corresponding non-crosslinked polymers. As far as fire-fighting substances which do not contain superabsorbent polymers, U.S. Pat. No. 6,251,961 discloses a flame-retardant coating comprising substances which carbonize and form a foam layer in the event of a fire.
While known fire retarding materials provide protection via insulation of assets at risk, no known composition contains a material which provides fire protection/insulation without the use of a superabsorbent polymer and, upon exposure to heat, also releases a material which combats the fire. Consequently, it would be advantageous to provide a flame retardant composition which avoids the disadvantages of superabsorbent polymers, protects items from fire and also releases a substance which contributes to extinguishing the fire. It would be particularly advantageous if this composition could be placed on an asset at risk to be protected in advance of contact between the asset and the fire and remain in place in a condition suitable for preventing the spread of the fire to the asset.